Accidental Gods

Regenerative Farming - or Agro-ecology - is being widely recognised as one of the best ways to mitigate the climate crisis. But how does it actually work? What can we do with our back gardens, our rooftops, our local verges to make a difference? Navona Gallegos explains the science - and the spirit - of working with the land. We first spoke with Navona Gallegos in podcast #55 (here) when she had newly moved onto the land she was starting to farm in New Mexico. In this podcast, she returns to talk about how her work is progressing there - and to talk more deeply about the actual mechanisms we can use to draw carbon down into our soils. She says this: "Where I am called is to bring more focus on the fungi, as that really is the 'how' of soil regeneration, be it agricultural, forest, greening deserts, whatever, and I don't hear people talking about that enough. We know fungi and their glomalin are what sequester carbon (mitigate climate change, reverse ocean acidification, etc.) and cycle macro and micro nutrients thereby increasing abundance and nutrient content in foods thereby increasing the capacities of those who eat those foods. Last time I spoke about fungi in relation to the soil food web, but I'd like to really make clear how and why fungi are the keystone to soil health and therefore human health, land health, etc. and how we support them and get out of their way. Fungi are the neural network of the Earth, communicating the state of the environment to plants and giving them the tools to respond. By facilitating plant growth, fungi are also changing climate patterns; there are many examples of how revegetating an arid area brings more rainfall. And so, I have a vision I'd like to speak on (that is SO possible) of vast stretches of land, even whole continents, once again connected in mycelial webs. I think that is a goal we should set for our species for the next seven generations because if we have that, we have connected ecosystems and watersheds that are clean, abundant, biodiverse, adaptable, and full of so much food, fiber, and fuel for humans and more than humans. Just like disease is broadly described as a breakdown of communication within the body, the destruction of those mycelial networks through tillage and other harmful practices marked the start of the wetiko culture. The 'how' is simple: plant a wide diversity of plants, mostly annuals; bring more wood into systems via mulch and hugel culture and leaving woody debris (and I can go into how that lignin is decomposed by fungi into humic substances, which are the storehouses of the soil for carbon and other nutrients and even DNA information of other types of life forms that is stable for thousands of years as well as cleans contaminated soil by binding contaminants, AND how fungi are the gatekeepers to those stores and information, choosing when to draw on them); use fungal​ composts (not bacterial dominated); stop​ disturbing the soil (there are ample resources now for no-till and I can elaborate); rotational grazing with animals to increase plants vigor and diversity; do not pull weeds, rather create a more fungal soil and watch the 'weeds' back off on their own (ie, create what we want rather than resist what we don't want). As far as the 'how' socially/politically, it's all about changing our thinking and viewing the world as alive. Rather than paving over an empty lot or growing mono-crop grass lawns, let's create ordinances that promote more ground cover and diversity. This advocacy doesn't just have to be about making more human food. We need rooftop gardens everywhere possible to mitigate the heat island effect and create positive feedback loops of rainfall and temp. that allow more growth. Mulch your leaves instead of bagging and throwing them away. Everyone can find a way to promote this either in stopping destructive gardening and growing practices or by advocating for community growing spaces or by guerilla hugeling, planting, seed-saving, foraging, and buying locally. Long-lived indigenous cultures all have practices that support fungal networks. One of the main issues I see when I consult on soil building is a psychological clinging to control when the system really needs to just be left alone and supported in simple ways. The more we rewild our minds and our communities, the more we will get away from the perceived need to micro-manage, the more we can hear the voices of the land so our actions are efficient and effective, AND simultaneously build the equivalent of human mycelial networks where we can trade tools and information in an open-source way. "I don't have a lot of concrete ideas myself around how to build political will. Rather, where I'm at is simply the acknowledgement that we need to change our thinking fundamentally and let go of scarcity/wetiko culture by reconnecting. Fungi are literally the (re)connectors of terrestrial life. My personal path toward reconnection is by changing how we grow food in our gardens

Imagine a world where money works differently. Where there's enough for everyone's needs, not their greed and where we work together for a life we all want. In this week's podcast, Jonathan Dawson, head of the Regenerative Economics program at Schumacher college explores how. Jonathan Dawson, co-creator of the Masters in Regenerative Economics at Schumacher college, is a sustainability educator and a former President of the Global Ecovillage Network. He has around 20 years experience as a researcher, author, consultant and project manager in the field of small enterprise development in Africa and South Asia and before joining the College he was a long-term resident at the Findhorn ecovillage.Jonathan is the principal author of the Gaia Education sustainable economy curriculum www.gaiaeducation.org, drawn from best practice within ecovillages worldwide, that has been endorsed by UNITAR and adopted by UNESCO as a valuable contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. He teaches this curriculum at universities, ecovillages and community centres in Brazil, Spain and Scotland. He has also adopted the curriculum to virtual format and teaches it through the Open University of Catalunya in Barcelona.In this week's wide-ranging discussion, we explore the differences between the hard, mechanistic view of economics and the wider, more regenerative view that is based in moral philosophy. From there, we look at the ways we can change the stories we tell ourselves about value and worth and the ways we are moving forward in an ever-changing world. Links: Articles: DAWSON J. Teaching Economics for the 21st Century, Resilience.org. http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-10-06/teaching-economics-for-the-21st-centuryDAWSON J. Changing Stories: Using narrative to shift societal values, Resurgence (March, 2015) http://newstoryhub.com/2014/08/changing-stories-using-narrative-to-shift-societal-values/DAWSON J. A wave of disruption is sweeping in to challenge neoliberalism, Guardian, March 12, 2015 http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/12/disruption-challenge-neoliberalism-commons-political-systemBooks: Kate Raworth: Doughnut Economics https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Doughnut-Economics-by-Kate-Raworth-author/9781847941398Mariana Mazzucato: The Mission Economy: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Mission-Economy-by-Mariana-Mazzucato-author/9780241419731Tim Jackson: Post Growth: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Post-Growth-by-Tim-Jackson-author/9781509542529Kim Stanley Robinson: The Ministry for the Future (fiction): https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Ministry-for-the-Future-by-Kim-Stanley-Robinson-author/9780356508832Bill Gates: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/How-to-Avoid-a-Climate-Disaster-by-Bill-Gates-author/9780241448304TED TALKRupert Sheldrake (banned by TED) https://youtu.be/JKHUaNAxsTg

How can we bring vibrancy, life, diversity and connection back to the land? How would we be if we listened to all the wild plants of our land? Katrina Blair first listened to plants at the age of 11 - and is now transforming her local community. In this inspiring podcast, she leads us through ways we, too, can connect with plants as our teachers. Katrina Blair began studying wild plants in her teens when she camped out alone for a summer with the intention of eating primarily wild foods. She gained an MA from John F Kennedy University in Orinda, CA in Holistic Health Education and - as she tells us in the podcast - went on to found Turtle Lake Refuge in 1998, a non-profit organisation whose mission is to celebrate the connection between personal health and wild lands. She teaches sustainable living practices, permaculture and wild edible and medicinal plant classes locally and internationally. She is the author of two books, one a raw food cook book's 'Recipes for Living Deep' and The Wild Wisdom of Seeds (linked below). The Mission Statement of Turtle Lake Refuge says that it exists to celebrate the connection between personal health and wild lands. We are inspired to promote and practice sustainable ways of living, honouring wild nature and the evolution of community. Examples of our work include growing, harvesting and preparing local, wild and living food for the community, educating about the great values of the wild edible and medicinal abundance available in our area, providing local micro greens for the public schools, restaurants and stores and educating about organic land stewardship practices through our project Bee Happy Lands. Links: Turtle Lake Refuge: http://www.turtlelakerefuge.orgRecipes for Living Deep: http://www.turtlelakerefuge.org/rawfoodcookbookThe Wild Wisdom of Weeds: http://www.turtlelakerefuge.org/wild-wisdom

“No decision shall be made and no action taken unless it holds the good of the children of all beings, of this generation and seven hence, at its heart.”How would our world be if we based every act on the impact it would have down the generations? What do our children - and their children - need us to do now, to grant them a flourishing future? A simple video asks that question and invites our children to answer. We talk to its makers. When David SmartKnight heard that the G7 summit was coming to Cornwall in June 2021, he went to the land and asked of it ‘What can I do?’ That night, he had a dream… and as is the way of things, when we align ourselves with life, the world joins our actions. Pretty soon he and his co-producer, Klaudia van Gool had a team of people, who came together to make a beautiful, moving 3 minute video and a project of awe-inspiring scope, to bring the words of the world’s children to the world’s leaders in ways they cannot ignore. As for David himself: Following a thriving career as an IT consultant, for 25 years David has asked: “What does it mean to live sustainably?”. This has resulted in studying & applying Permaculture, shamanism, Non-Violent Communication, storytelling, teaching, social enterprise, running a smallholding, planting and managing coppice, making greenwood furniture, keeping livestock and holding ceremonies. All woven into a second career as an environmental educator, devising and delivering a European-wide teacher training program, creating and piloting a sustainability curriculum for secondary, establishing two award-winning Environmental Education Centres and running eco-build projects as community empowerment exercises.“Sustainability”, he believes “is a completely inadequate ambition: what we actually need is regeneration, which, by necessity, requires both personal fulfilment and social justice.”Between his deep-nature connection business, the complexities (and joys) of single-parenting two teenagers and devoting much of his time to supporting the Regenerative Cultures strand underpinning Extinction Rebellion, David currently is spearheading “The Children’s Fire Project” – an ambition to bring the 7th Generation Principle to the heart of global economic thinking.And this is Klaudia: I grew up on the edge of a village in the south of the Netherlands, considering the fields out the back my play ground. I had an urge to garden and made small gardens around the house. I signed myself up as a youth member of a national nature conservation charity.It wasn’t until I decided on an Environmental Science degree after moving to the UK and having children, that things came together for me and I realised i couldn’t think of anything better to do than work in the field I loved, which I have continued to do ever since.I worked as an Environmental Business Services Adviser for the Groundwork Trust for eleven years, after personal experience of various small businesses ranging from construction to food processing.In addition to the degree in Environmental Science, I attended many trainings in the fields of business, permaculture, education & teaching, facilitation, management, sustainability skills and personal development.I have gathered many skills through training and practical experience: gardening, preserving, foraging, basketry, living willow structures, strawbale and cob building, bushcraft, herbal medicine and more.Once I started on the permaculture path, I got hooked, started teaching permaculture in 2007 and have taught 31 PDCs to date. This path had led to a social permaculture interest, see more here.In recent years I have been involved with Extinction Rebellion, mostly focussing on regenerative cultures and deepening my curiosity for ceremony and herbal knowledge and skills. The Children’s Fire Website: https://childrensfire.earthVideo Link to 'Honouring the Children's Fire': https://youtu.be/4SO6dS1Qa9IKlaudia van Gool: http://klaudia.co.uk

Why does the law not protect us? Why does our government not strive every sinew to keep us safe at all levels? What would it look like if the law did protect, care for and sustain common people? Answers on this, and the depths of life from Mothiur Rahman, pioneer member of XR Muslims.Mothiur Rahman speaks with raw courage and a unique combination of vulnerability and strength as he describes his own journey to spiritual connection and how it informs his life, from supporting anti-fracking campaigners to working with XR visioning. From helping defeat the first major fracking application in the UK, to taking part in XR actions to highlight government inaction, Mothiur walks his talk with clear integrity, a sharp, engaged mind and a commitment to bringing about a regenerative future. New Economy LawMuslims for Extinction Rebellion FB pageArticle in Resurgence Magazine: "A Civil Rights Movement"Mothiur’s statement to be read at his trial (for XR Action - the case was dismissed before this could be read out)Mothiur's article in Stir for Action Land & Power:Community ChartersMothius's talk at Vaults Festival 2019 Decolonise/Decarbonise: Decoloniality & Rewilding the Psyche

How does it feel to commit - completely, without reservation - to the flow of life? Where do we find the courage and resilience to take the first steps on the path? And how does the world - that same flow of life - support us when we have done so? In this second of two parts with Alan Watson Featherstone we explore more deeply the creation of Trees for Life - how it arose and what it entailed... In itself, this is impressive, but what makes it inspiring for those of us who might not be able to set up a world-changing forest reWilding project, is the extent to which, having made a commitment to change the world, the world itself supports us in our endeavour. This is what is so inspiring about Alan's story, what gives us hope in a world hurtling towards so many tipping points: that if we listen to our innermost yearnings, if we follow our hearts and let our intuition lead us - then when we step onto the path of our calling the world supports us in our endeavour. Alan's website: https://alanwatsonfeatherstone.comTrees for Life: https://treesforlife.org.uk/alan-watson-featherstone-founder-of-trees-for-life/Findhorn community https://www.findhorn.orgAuroville community https://auroville.orgRestore the Earth http://www.restoretheearth.co.ukGlobal Ecovillage Network https://ecovillage.org

What are we here for? What - exactly - is the purpose of life? Imagine a world where finding our life's purpose - and having the courage to follow it - was at the core of everything we did. Alan Watson Featherstone listened to the prompting of his heart and set up Trees for Life to ReWild the Great Caledonian Forest in Scotland. Three decades on, there are thousands of acres alive with new growth. In this first of two podcasts, he describes his journey to Findhorn.Alan is an ecologist, nature photographer, international speaker – and founder of Trees for Life, the charity that grew from a promise made at a Gathering, into a multi-million pound organisation owning – and ReWilding – thousands of acres of the Scottish Highlands. Along the way, he organised the planting of trees by the million, the fencing of thousands of acres to protect saplings – and helped lay the roots for the re-introduction of beavers to Scotland.His journey from electronics undergraduate to one of the world’s foremost advocates for Wild Land and our connection with nature is an inspiration for anyone and everyone who seeks to connect with a sense of purpose in life. Alan's website: https://alanwatsonfeatherstone.comTrees for Life: https://treesforlife.org.uk/alan-watson-featherstone-founder-of-trees-for-life/Findhorn community https://www.findhorn.orgAuroville community https://auroville.orgRestore the Earth http://www.restoretheearth.co.ukGlobal Ecovillage Network https://ecovillage.org'Dreaming Your Soul's Path' Gathering at Accidental Gods https://accidentalgods.life/dreaming-your-souls-path/

Suppose we all made this year the one where we choose to make a difference? We could take a sabbatical and join in the actions around COP26. Or we could go to work and do whatever it takes to make our business regenerative. Or we could join Parents For Future and build a world that we are proud to leave to our children. Rupert Read on his new book: Parents for a Future and how now is the time to act. Professor Rupert Read works in the philosophy department at UEA in Norwich. He's author of numerous books and a hands-on, sit-in-the-streets climate activist. His latest book, Parents for a Future is a passionate, beautifully argued clarion call for all of us to do whatever it takes to move us onto a trajectory that will shape the future we need and want for future generations: a future we're proud to leave behind. This year in particular is a crucial turning point. As we emerge from COVID and move towards COP26 in Glasgow, the decisions we make now will shape this decade, which will shape this century, which will shape this millennium - and the future of the human and more-than-human worlds. You can connect at @parents4afuture and #ParentsforFuture, so head for both of those and see what you can do to make this year the one where we changed. Parents for a Future Book: https://www.parentsforafuture.org/shopRupert's website https://parentsforafuture.org ThruTopia paper: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/rupert-read/thrutopia-why-neither-dys_b_18372090.htmlNarrative Ark Television for the future website https://narrativeark.net

Suppose we already have all the answers to the crises that assail us? Suppose countless people, companies, non-profit organisations and local community groups were already working to change the way things work? And suppose we could knit these together into a movement for change? Donnie Maclurcan of the Post Growth Institute explores the ways we can find a generative future. Donnie is a facilitator, author and social entrepreneur, passionate about all things not-for-profit. Originally from Australia, he moved to the U.S. in 2013, from where he coordinates the Post Growth Institute. As a consultant, he has worked in Egypt, Kenya, Fiji, Thailand and South Korea, helping 500+ not-for-profit projects start, scale and sustain their work, while his own initiatives include developing: Free Money Day, the Post Growth Alliance, the (En)Rich List, the Offers and Needs Market process, The Not for Profit Waytraining, Silent Skype team meetings, Project Australia, and the globally-used #postgrowth hashtag. An Affiliate Professor of Economics at Southern Oregon University and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, Donnie holds a Ph.D. in social science.He is passionate about the concept that we already have the answers to the current world, social, cultural, climatic, ecological and economic crises - and that if we can understand this fact, it will help us to work towards answers that will work. In the podcast, he explores the ways in which we can spread this understanding, and build on it to create a generative future. He focuses on the things that are already working - and ways we can shift the focus of our economy away from the massive hoarding of wealth by big multinationals and the global hyper-rich. How on Earth: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/How-on-Earth-by-Donald-Maclurcan-author-Jen-Hinton-author/9780990369004

Imagine a world where we didn’t always feel as if money was tight. Imagine an economy that works for the health and welfare of people and planet rather than all of us working for the health of the economy. Richard Murphy describes where money comes from and how we could use it differently. We all know the economy is broken - that the experiment of free market capitalism has driven us to the edge of extinction. The problem is working out what to replace it with that will help us to find new ways of being without creating such havoc that lives are destroyed in the process. In this first of a two-part series, Richard Murphy explores ways we can change the current system to create a different world. Richard Murphy is a political economist, author of the book 'The Joy of Tax', and is a visiting professor at Sheffield, Anglia Ruskin and City universities. He's an adviser at the Fair Tax Mark and was deeply involved in creating the first iteration of the Green New Deal in the UK. He writes the Tax Research Blog, which shines bright lights on the economic illiteracy of free-market governments. In our conversation, we explore how money is made in the current system, the mythology of austerity and how the world could be if we all understood the nature of the lies. When we all see the Emperor has no clothes, we can re-create a new way of doing and being. Tax Research Blog: https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/Fair Tax Mark: https://fairtaxmark.netThe Joy of Tax: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Joy-of-Tax-by-Richard-Murphy-author/9780552171618Tax Justice Network: https://www.taxjustice.netThe Green New Deal: https://greennewdealgroup.org

We all know national politics is in chaos. But local governance can be a place of enlivening, inspiring, radical change. Pam Barrett speaks of her work to change the nature of her local town council - what she achieved - and how we can do the same. Pam Barrett worked at the heart of the Westminster government's civil service. Then she moved to picturesque Buckfastleigh, a mill town on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, and began to see how badly the town was served by the town and regional councils. She started a group to preserve the town's only swimming pool. That grew, and the pool was saved, and she moved on, in time, to stand as an independent for the town council. A group of others stood with her, and they gained 9 seats on a 12 seat council. Which meant they could do things, make things happen... discover the freedom that local democracy gives if it truly serves the local people. With the newly independent group on the local council, the concept of 'of the people, by the people, for the people' took on new meaning. They moved the council to a bigger room and made the proceedings far more transparent. They asked local people what they wanted to do - and then worked out how much it would cost.. .23p per household per week to really keep the swimming pool open, other bits for other things, amounting to an extra 97p per household per week. And then they let local people decide if they wanted that...and, like almost all participatory budgeting, when people have a chance to really see what their money goes towards - they did want it, and they were happy to pay. So that four years later, when the council came up for re-election, 10 independent councillors stood and 10 were elected. Pam's story is one of agency, and local empowerment and it can play out pretty much anywhere in the world where democracy is still alive. Listen in and be inspired - then go out and see what you can do in your local area. FlatPack Democracy: https://www.flatpackdemocracy.co.ukTrust the People online Training: https://actionnetwork.org/events/trust-the-people-online-course-spring-2021Be Buckfastleigh: https://bebuckfastleigh.co.ukPositive News on Pam Barrett and Buckfastleigh: https://www.positive.news/uk/the-devonshire-town-that-transformed-local-democracy/Handforth Parish Council Zoom call (full) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsalmnyed7kHandforth Parish Council Zoom (highlights) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGmYeAm0jk

How does it feel to know we're really living our purpose? What's the felt sense inside that tells us to keep going in a particular direction? Or to stop? Radical evolutionary, Chris Taylor explores the pathways to right being that will let us transform what it is to be human. Chris Taylor, author of 'The Tao of Revolution' is a Tai Chi teacher, regenerative farmer, musician, performance poet, facilitator-of-change and author - who describes himself as a revolutionary mystic. Or mystical revolutionary. His book is described as 'A field guide for Global Transformation, - a book on climate and societal change that isn't about the coming chaos, but about how we learn to live with the future. The system will not be over-thrown, it will be overgrown - here's how.' In this heart-warming, thought-provoking podcast we move through Immanuelle Wallerstein, Quaker philosophy and Mellissa Etheridge to the Green New Deal, QAnon and Taoism, to how we can live deeply connected to the land that feeds us. Ultimately, we explore the opportunities and gifts of our times and the ways that we can each find the margins of ourselves, find the things that make our hearts sing and find the ways to do them - so that together, we are building a world based on connection, coherence and empowerment. Chris Taylor's book: The Tao of Revolution: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Tao-of-Revolution-by-Chris-Taylor-author/9781939269973Oasis Human Relations: https://www.oasishumanrelations.org.ukGrace Blakeley: Green Capitalism is not enough: https://democracycollaborative.org/learn/publication/green-capitalism-not-enoughJem Bendell's Deep Adaptation paper: https://jembendell.com/2019/05/15/deep-adaptation-versions/Immanuelle Wallerstein: World Systems Analysis: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/World-Systems-Analysis-by-Immanuel-Maurice-Wallerstein/9780822334422

How different would our world be if we understood how our minds - and feelings - worked? How would our workplaces change if everyone was doing their best to understand how everyone else experienced the world? Dr Rachel Lilley describes how shifting our perspectives changes everything - from work to home to government. Rachel combines extensive academic research with many years practical experience working with teams and senior leaders to offer unique and practical insights into attention, emotions, consciousness and decision making. She has particular expertise in behaviour change related to sustainability, climate change and community engagement as well as extensive academic and personal experience of using mindfulness to develop self and other awareness and gain insight.In today's podcast, we discuss the basis behind her PhD thesis, which explored the practical results of teaching mindfulness to civil servants in the Welsh Government and how this impacted on the ability to deliver results particularly related to climate change actions. The core of this: that people learned how their own minds worked - and so began to understand how others' minds work, that not all minds are the same, and not all thought processes follow the same lines - is transformative in our lives, our workplaces and our ability to respond to the current planetary crisis. Rachel explains the basis of her work and its results so far- as well as the potential for extending it further. Rachel Lilley Predicting Mind website - https://predictingmind.comLisa Feldman Barret: How Emotions are Made - https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/How-Emotions-Are-Made-by-Lisa-Feldman-Barrett-author/9781509837526George Lakoff Metaphors we Live By: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Metaphors-We-Live-By-by-George-Lakoff-author-Mark-Johnson-author/9780226468013Podcast: Sam Harris talking to Anil Seth: https://samharris.org/subscriber-extras/113-consciousness-and-the-self/

Everybody NowClimate Emergency and Sacred Duty We’ve caused a turning point in the Earth’s natural history. Everybody Now is a podcast about what it means to be human on the threshold of a global climate emergency, in a time of systemic injustice and runaway pandemics. Scientists, activists, farmers, poets, and theologians talk bravely and frankly about how our biosphere is changing, about grief and hope in an age of social collapse and mass extinction, and about taking action against all the odds.On 19th October 2020, Everybody Now is being released by podcasters all over the world as a collective call for awareness, grief and loving action. With contributions from: Dr. Gail Bradbrook - scientist and co-founder of Extinction RebellionProf. Kevin Anderson - Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University of ManchesterDámaris Albuquerque - works with agricultural communities in NicaraguaDr. Rowan Williams - theologian and poet, and a former Archbishop of CanterburyPádraig Ó Tuama - poet, theologian and conflict mediatorRachel Mander - environmental activist with Hope for the FutureJohn Swales - priest and activist, and part of a community for marginalised peopleZena Kazeme - Persian-Iraqi poet who draws on her experiences as a former refugee to create poetry that explores themes of exile, home, war and heritageFlo Brady - singer and theatre makerHannah Malcolm - Anglican ordinand, climate writer and organiserAlastair McIntosh - writer, academic and land rights activistDavid Benjamin Blower - musician, poet and podcaster Funding and Production: This podcast was crowdfunded by a handful of good souls, and produced by Tim Nash and David Benjamin Blower Permissions: The song Happily by Flo Brady is used with permission.The song The Soil, from We Really Existed and We Really Did This by David Benjamin Blower, used with permission.The Poem The Tree of Knowledge by Pádraig Ó Tuama used with permission.The Poem Atlas by Zena Kazeme used with permission.The Poem What is Man? by Rowan Williams from the book The Other Mountain, used with permission from Carcanet Press.

Kindness costs nothing and it enhances our lives and those around us. And yet our world is full of random acts of unkindness. How can we change this? How can we extend the boundaries of faith and spirituality to bring the best of ourselves to a world in crisis. This week, podcaster, musician, writer, theologian – and deep spiritual activist – David Blower talks about Christianity and kindness and the climate crisis. David Benjamin Blower is a radical Christian theologian, a musician, a writer, and a podcaster. He is co-host of NOMAD podcast which describes itself as 'Stumbling through the post-Christendom wilderness looking for signs of hope". His first book Kingdom vs Empire is 'an explosive manifesto for politicised faith in 21st Century Britain.'In this deep dive into the nature of faith, we explore spirituality, belief, tribalism - and the narratives we spin ourselves of where we are and where we could be. David's Website davidbenjaminblower.comDavid's Music benjaminblower.bandcamp.com/musicNomad podcast - Elizabeth Oldfield episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nomad-podcast/id301419170?i=1000493995562Nomad podcast - Elaine Heath episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nomad-podcast/id301419170?i=1000422414384Climate PodBoom - https://pdst.fm/e/media.transistor.fm/1f96c344/de91b51d.mp3

What if the Ocean were a living thing, in the way that the earth breathes as Gaia? The Maori say that if the Ocean is healthy, so, too, will the people be healthy. And we are not healthy - nor is the Ocean. But we are intimately linked and Glenn Edney, Ocean Deep Ecologist explains how - and what we can do to heal ourselves and the waters of the Earth. Glenn Edney is a Deep Ecologist, an Ocean explorer, diver, sailor, an activist for the living Ocean - and a deeply thoughtful visionary, following in the footsteps of his hero, Jacques Cousteau. He's the author of three books, the most recent, published in 2016, is 'The Ocean is Alive'. He wrote this as his way to help those of us more land bound to understand that, like Gaia, the Ocean is a living entity with its own hyper-complex physiology - that everything from the chemical composition of the water, through the lives of the plankton and microbiomes to the majesty - and super consciousness - of the great whales, is part of a single Being. The detail of how the Ocean lives and breathes is fascinating and glorious, but it's the stories of connection, heart-to-heart, with the living elements of the Ocean that stay with us long after we've put the book down. In the podcast, Glenn shares his complete connection with the Ocean - and the ways we can - and must - open to this magnificent part of our planet. “Mena kei te hauora te moana ka pera ano te hauora o te iwi” If the ocean is healthy so too will the people be healthy - Maori sayingThe Ocean is Alive: book link: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Ocean-Is-Alive-by-Glenn-Edney-author/9780473352608High and Deep Sea Photos by Glenn: https://www.synchronicityearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Synchronicity-Earth-High-Deep-Seas-Insight.pdf

How would our world feel if our local, regional and national politics really listened to all the people, really brought together diverse views, and knew how to listen deeply to whatever was said? How would we be if our politics brought out the best in all of us, and worked for the living planet? We talk to Trust The People, a new movement to bring this about - globally. Trust The People is a movement of community builders open to everyone sharing deliberative democratic tools to support local communities dealing with global crises. In this episode, Mags Mulowska, an activist with TTP, explores how our current system is broken, and the ways we can change it so that everyone has choice and a voice, so that everyone's voice is heard and communities build around a sense of place and of purpose. She describes the courses run by TTP and some of the ways they have led to flourishing outcomes in diverse local communities. And we discuss the May local elections in the UK and how people can join a movement of independent candidates dedicated to bringing radical inclusivity, deep listening and trust to the local process. Trust the People: https://www.trustthepeople.earthIsabel Hardman "Why we Get the Wrong Politicians"

What if we could see the nature of the stories that drive us, how would we be? Would we be able to change them? And what would we want in their place? This week, Alnoor Ladha, mystic, visionary, activist and regenerative farmer explores the four ways to change the world.Alnoor Ladha's work focuses on the intersection of political organizing, systems thinking and narrative work. He was the co-founder and Executive Director of The Rules (TR), a global network of activists, organizers, designers, coders, researchers, writers and others focused on changing the rules that create inequality, poverty and climate change. TR started in 2012 as a time-bound project and an experiment in anarchist organizational design, exploring new ways of how to work, play and make trouble together. Alnoor comes from a Sufi lineage and explores/writes about the intersection between politics and spirituality in troubled times. He is also a co-founder of Tierra Valiente, a post- capitalist community in northern Costa Rica.In this week's podcast, we discuss his ideas of Capitalism, memes and mind viruses - notably the idea of the Wetiko - and what the antidotes might be. We explore the nature of subjective reality and the narratives that promote capitalism. We explore the need for mystical anarchism, the means by which we might transcend subject/object duality, cultivating relationality and cultivating a sense of connection to the web of life. The Rules: https://therules.org/author/alnoor/Tierra Valiente: https://www.braveearth.comSeeing Wetiko: on capitalism, mind viruses and antidotes: https://www.kosmosjournal.org/article/seeing-wetiko-on-capitalism-mind-viruses-and-antidotes-for-a-world-in-transition/What could possibly go right: https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-10-20/what-could-possibly-go-right-episode-19-alnoor-ladha/

What if we had a way to draw carbon out of the air, heal our ecosystems and feed the world? We do: It's called Regenerative Agriculture and the understanding of how we do this is key to a flourishing future. But we need to listen to the land first, as Navona Gallegos describes in this new Accidental Gods podcast. Navona Gallegos is an ecologist and farmer working to transition desert back into grassland in the arid Southwest of Turtle Island. She works and educates on the intersection of clean water, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and nutrition: soil. Navona's passion is decolonization and she sees building soil as the keystone that allows us to step into right relation with our surrounding ecologies, access more of our innate capacities, and create a culture that truly meets our needs. Her insight into the spiritual connection with the land is a breath of fresh air, giving us ways to connect that are healing for us as well as the earth. Links: Dr Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web: https://www.soilfoodweb.com

An end-of-year round up of the best fiction and non-fiction books - and podcasts - of 2020. All are my opinion and this is only a tiny selection of the really good stuff out there - but it's good. Enjoy! We have to stop consuming stuff... but we never stop imbibing ideas. So here are some to choose from - all links to Blackwells. For obvious reasons. Non-Fiction 'From what is to what if' by Rob HopkinsThe Trembling Warrior and others by Gill Coombs'The Best of Times, the Worst of Times' by Paul Behrens'How to Be More Pirate' by Alex Barker'Doughnut Economics' by Kate Raworth (also Doughnut Economics Action Lab) 'Less is More' by Jason Hickel'The Ocean is Alive' by Glenn Edney'The Tao of Revolution' by Chris TaylorFiction: 'This is How You Lose The Time War' by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone'The Border Keeper' by Kerstin Hall 'Slough House' by Mick Herron'Agent Running in the Field' by John le Carré'Attack Surface' by Cory Doctorow'Call Down the Hawk' by Maggie Stiefvater'The Timekeeper' by Tara Sim'In Other Lands' by Sarah Rees Brennan'The Ten Thousand Doors of January' by Alix E Harrow'The Left Handed Booksellers of London' by Garth Nix.'A Deadly Education' by Naomi Novak'Fallible Justice' by Laura Laakso'Poison in Paris' by Robert Wilton'The Last Protector' by Andrew Taylor'The Angel of the Crows' by Katherine AddisonPodcasts: Upstream hosted by Della DuncanThe Hive hosted by Nathalie NahaiThe Sustainable Futures Report by Anthony Day A New and Ancient Story by Charles Eisenstein'Your Undivided Attention' by Tristan Harris'Regenerative Agriculture Podcast' by John KempfFarm Gate hosted by Ffinlo Costain'Equiosity' by Alex Kurland'Horses For Future' by Alex KurlandDrinking from the Toilet by Hannah BranniganLink to Dreaming the Year Awake

It's our Birthday... and it's the December Solstice, the time of transition and potential transformation . In honour of which, we are crafting a new tradition: a PodBoom shared with Della Duncan of UPSTREAM podcast and Nathalie Nahai of THE HIVE. So, it's our Birthday - and it's that time of year when every pundit endeavours to look back at the year just gone and ahead to the one that is coming. And we thought we'd like to establish a parallel tradition, where we bring together our favourite podcasting-friends and explore the ways we think. So we set up a structure that will be repeatable in future years... where we give each other gifts of a book, podcast or something else that has brought us real insight, and then we explore each other's existential questions. And we have fun. So that you can have fun too. Della Duncan is a Renegade Economist who hosts the UPSTREAM podcast challenging traditional economic thinking and uplifting stories of sustainable, just, and equitable economic systems-change around the world. Della is also a Right Livelihood Coach, a Senior Fellow of Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute in the London School of Economics, the Course Development Manager of Fritjof Capra’s Capra Course on the Systems View of Life, and an Alternative Economics Consultant.Nathalie Nahai is host of THE HIVE podcast. Nathalie is an international speaker and author of the best-selling book, Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion, which has been translated into seven languages.Her work explores the intersection between persuasive technology, ethics and the psychology of online behaviour, and clients include Google, Accenture, Unilever and Harvard Business Review, among others.Nathalie gives keynotes, workshops and webinars on the psychological dynamics behind evolving consumer behaviours, teaching people how to ethically apply behavioural science principles to enhance their website, content marketing, product design and customer experience.A member of the BIMA Human Insights Council, she also hosts The Hive Podcast, Seeking The Self and several Guardian podcasts, and contributes to national publications, television (BBC, Sky, CNN), and radio (BBC Radio 4) on the impact of technology in our lives.From Nathalie:BooksBraiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall KimmererWomen Who Run with the Wolves - Clarissa Pinkola EstésFoxfire Wolfskin - Sharon BlackieThe Abundant Earth - Eileen CristPodcast: Eco Civ Podcast From Della: BooksThe Dangerous Old Woman: Myths and Stories of the Wise Woman Archetype - Clarissa Pinkola EstésBuilding Bridges, Not Walking on Backs: A Feminist Economic Recovery Plan for COVID-19 - Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself - Richard WolffPodcast: Upstream Conversations that I mentioned From Manda: BooksEnglish Pastoral - James Rebanks Less is More - Jason HickelSlow Horses - Mick Herron

How can we make learning a genuinely transformational experience? One that's fun, and inspiring and that teaches us HOW to think, not WHAT to think? Rachel Musson had given her life to asking this question and ThoughtBox is her answer. Suppose we all learned three things at school: empathy, critical thinking and systems thinking... imagine how different the world would be. Suppose we learned how to think clearly, how to communicate, how to understand our own feelings and express them without feeling the need to trash other people just because we were hurt, or angry. Rachel Musson, founder and educational director of ThoughtBox, a radical, new co-learning programme speaks of her journey to create the system, and how it's working - in over a thousand schools and fifty four nations across the world. Rachel believes in co-learning: no more lesson plans, but a classroom of peers who take the core of a topic and build on it together. The result is a flexible learning environment where everyone thrives, where each individual is given space and encouragement to grow to be the best of themselves. Imagine a world where this is possible. Where it is happening. Where it is growing... About Rachel Rachel Musson is a teacher, trainer, writer and thought-leader onsustainable education and wellbeing in schools.Working for 13 years as a Secondary English teacher, Rachel has taughtstudents and trained teachers in schools across the world including the UK,Ireland, Australia, Nepal and Tanzania. She is the Founding Director ofThoughtBox Education – a social enterprise fostering triple wellbeing byhelping young people deepen relationships with themselves, society and thenatural world. She is the pioneer behind Changing Climates: a free climatechange curriculum currently being used in 1500+ schools across 56 countries.Rachel is currently working with industry leaders on education reform policyand standing as an international thought-leader on climate-change educationand triple-wellbeing in schools.ThoughtBox: https://www.thoughtboxeducation.comThoughtBox Community Network: www.thoughtboxeducation.com/communityNew free membership for global educators: https://www.thoughtboxeducation.com/teaching-for-a-better-worldFreedom to Think: Blog on the new anti-capitalist ban in UK schools: https://www.thoughtboxeducation.com/blog/freedom-to-think

How bad are things really? Is it too late to avert the climate and ecological catastrophe? And if not, how do we pull ourselves back from the brink? Exploring answers with Paul Behrens, author of 'The Best of Times, The Worst of Times'. We live on the edge of change - the facts can be terrifying, but the creative potential of our times is inspiring and just as jaw-dropping as the horrors of the reality we inhabit. Paul Behrens is Assistant Professor of Energy and Environmental Change at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He has advised governments and his work on climate change has appeared in leading scientific journals, as well as on the BBC, in the New York Times and Scientific American. He's got a clear, un-sensational view of the way things are - and how we can bring ourselves back from the brink. In our conversation, we explore the realities and the possibilities - and where we might go from here. Pauls Book: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Best-of-Times-The-Worst-of-Times-by-Paul-Behrens-author/9781911648093

How can we take the radical, renegade, rule-breaking, revolutionary ideals of the golden age of Pirates and transmute them to gold in our world? Alex Barker, author of 'How to be More Pirate' lays out the maps to the treasure of change. The concept of radical, renegade, revolutionary insurgency based on the model created in the Golden Age of Pirates was given wings by Sam Conniff's best selling book, BE MORE PIRATE. In the wake of its success, Sam needed to find ways to help the many people the book inspired. And for that he needed help. Enter Alex Barker, Primary Pirate, visionary, breaker of rules and maker of gatherings on and offline. Alex and Sam between them have steered Pirate groups from industries as far apart as car manufacturing (Mercedes), Social Media Mega-Giants (Google) and nationally owned health care providers (the UK's NHS). But we can go deeper than simply breaking the old, fossilised structures of industries... we can change the entire system. Because, as Sam says, 'problems will not be fixed by fixing the problems... what's really needed is an overhaul of the engine that's causing the problems. In other words, the business model.' And, as Alex says, 'I want to see many more new crews forming outside of formal structures, so that while the old models fall, new ones are already emerging.' Accidental Gods seeks to be part of that emerging eco-system of new ways of being. And to get there, we need new ways of thinking - and ways we can each break out of the moulds that have cast us. Alex Barker offers a map to the treasure of change. Follow us! The book: https://www.bemorepirate.com/the-bookThe Workshops: https://www.bemorepirate.com/the-workshopRethink Humanity Paper: https://www.rethinkx.com/humanity As we said at the end of the podcast, Mike Raven and Ross Thornley of AQAI have kindly agreed to let Accidental Gods subscribers and members access their Adaptability Quotient test. The link is here: DISCOUNT CODE FOR AQAI: https://app.aqai.io/signup/aqme?discount_code=ACCGODS

In the midst of nonviolent direct action, is a red thread, holding the liminal space between the old and the new, between action and re-action, between hope and extinction. The Red Rebel Brigade is a distinctive feature of XR Actions and here we have a glimpse from the inside. More at Red is the colour of our life blood. It joins us to the land and all the web of life. It was chosen as the original colour of the silent life-dancers of Extinction Rebellion as an explicit symbol of this life blood - and although other colours have been used, notably black for oil and blue for the sea - the feature of a red line of silent individuals threading between police and activists has become a key component of XR Actions across the world. For those not involved in the Red Rebel Brigades, their presence can feel transformative. To understand better the deep, shamanic connection with the land and the sensing-into-spirit that is an integral part of Red Rebel actions, we interviewed Sophie Miller, founder of the Cornish Red Rebels in the UK and key activist in many other actions over the past eighteen months. Anyone who is interested in becoming part of the world wide movement of Red Rebels can find out more on their web page: http://redrebelbrigade.com

Greta Thunberg says that ‘We cannot save the planet by playing by the rules, so the rules have to be changed’. This is self-evidently true, but that leaves us with the question of what rules could we create that we could all live by. Polly Higgins has the Earth Protector law, but Shelley Ostroff has gone one step further with her Codes for a Healthy Earth and the World Water law. Together, these rules spell out our connection with the More than Human world, and leave us with agency, initiative, and a sense of genuine flourishing. Shelley Ostroff (PhD) is a planetary activist, leadership consultant, social architect, mystic and writer. She is the founder of www.togetherincreation.org, www.7days-of-rest.org, www.codes.earth and other initiatives dedicated to the healing and replenishment of the planet and all its inhabitants. Concerned by the suffering and devastation humans cause each other, other species and the planet, she dedicated herself to exploring whole-system systems dynamics and integrative healing wisdom from diverse disciplines and traditions. She has worked with people from all walks of life, from different sectors of society and across continents as a therapist, consultant, mentor, and creative partner in cultivating individual, collective and whole-system wellness. Through ongoing research and practice, she has developed a unique holistic approach to human and whole-system healing and transformation that includes evolving blueprints for a new form of holistic health-oriented global Eco-Governance.Links:Codes for a Healthy Earth https://www.codes.earthTogether in Creation: www.togetherincreation.orgSeven Days of Rest https://www.7days-of-rest.org/Accidental Gods: https://accidentalgods.life/

How do we shift the narratives of business so that it becomes part of the solution, not the core of the problem? Mike Raven of AQAI explores the ways business can adapt - and become part of a genuinely regenerative future. Mike is a Radical collaborator, rapid researcher, speaker, facilitator and entrepreneur.He's a holistic business graduate and practitioner. He's a qualified Naturopath, who has studied at Schumacher College and been a UN Global Goals Ambassador. He's co-Founder of LEAPS - which accelerates Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals using design-style sprints.And most recently, he's co-Founder of AQai, whose mission is to improve humanity's adaptability at speed and scale, to help ensure no one gets left behind, in the fastest period of change we, or any human, has ever experienced in this, and the next decade.Above all, he is a Husband, Son, Brother, Friend, former digital nomad and passionate Futurist.Links: Decoding AQ: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/decoding-aq-adaptability-confidence-with-ross-thornley/id1517421415AQAI.io: https://www.aqai.ioThe Squiggly Career: https://www.thesquigglycareer.comGlobal Goals. www.globalgoals.orgHolocracy" www.holocracy.orgRemote Year: www.remoteyear.comBiology of Belief: https://www.brucelipton.com/books/biology-of-belief

How can we rebuild our cities to become place of community, connection and coherence? How can we build multi-generational tribes that thrive and support each other in the hearts of our urban areas? Mark Lakeman of the City Repair project explains the changes he has made - and continues to make. Mark Lakeman is the founder of the City Repair Project, as well as the founder and Design Director at communitecture, architecture & planning. Both organizations are Portland, Oregon-based world-changing initiatives that transform social, political, and physical infrastructure in order to embed permanent transformative effects. He has also been lead instructor for the Planet Repair Institute’s Urban Permaculture Design Course for a decade. Mark’s work has been published by El Mundo, Dwell, Architecture Magazine, New Village Journal, Sotokoto, The Utne Reader, Permaculture Activist and many more. With City Repair, in 2003 Mark was awarded the National Lewis Mumford Award, and his collaborative work has been featured at the Global Venice Biennale Exhibition. Additionally, in 2017, Mark’s work in City Repair was awarded “Social Design Circle” global recognition by the Curry Stone Design Prize.Here, he talks to Accidental Gods podcast about his life's extraordinary journey from city architect to city repair - and how the world might look in 2030 if we got it all right. Links: City Repair Project: https://cityrepair.orgBuilding Convergence: https://www.buildingconvergence.com/about/Creative Mornings: https://creativemornings.com/talks/mark-lakemanCommunitecture.net: www.communitecture.netVillage Building Convergence: www.villagebuildingconvergence.comMark Lakeman: www.marklakeman.netPlanet Repair: www.planetrepair.org

Gill Coombs is a writer, coach, and facilitator. Her approach is rooted in her own long, colourful journey towards fulfilling work. In 2010, Gill left a corporate Learning and Development career to travel around the country on foot and public transport, leading workshops for communities on living in harmony with self, people and planet. She is now an elder visionary with Extinction Rebellion and her own experiences of street-level non violent direct action led to the writing of her newly updated, and newly re-published book, 'The Trembling Warrior: A Guide for Reluctant Activists" - building on interviews and conversations with activists of all kinds, she has created a resource for anyone involved in action of any sort - direct or indirect. With her help, we find the levels of activism that feel safe for us, learn how to build tribe and -crucially -learn how to resource ourselves, to avoid burnout and breakdown so common in the progressive activist movement. In this podcast, we explore, deepen and expand on the themes of the book, to create our own resource for Trembling Warriors. Gill's Website book page: https://www.gillcoombs.co.uk/thetremblingwarriorEarth Protector Communities https://earthprotectorcommunities.net/Embercombe - Dreaming the Wildfire: https://embercombe.org/dreaming-the-wildfire/Byline Times: https://bylinetimes.comDouble Down News: https://www.doubledown.newsNovara Media: https://novaramedia.comThomas Moore: Dark Nights of the Soul: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/291596/dark-nights-of-the-soul-by-thomas-moore/George Monbiot Article on Government Corruption: https://www.monbiot.com/2020/10/23/without-trace/The Alternative: https://www.thealternative.org.ukCompass Think Tank: https://www.compassonline.org.ukMore in Common: https://www.moreincommon.comLed By Donkeys: https://www.ledbydonkeys.org

How do we re-democratise democracy? Understanding that our current system is broken is the first step, but then we need to find ways to gather voices and give agency to those with wisdom, so that we re-create our systems of governance from the ground up. At the start of Lockdown, Eva and Justin set out to interview 100 people in Scotland - deep, wide, broad interviews across the widest range of opinions. Now, they are bringing those together, creating the foundations for a consultative democracy that really listens to people’s cares and concerns. If it can happen in Scotland, it can happen all around the world. We need new structures. This podcast, and the Medium article that led to it, aim to be the absolute foundation resources for those wanting to create whole, healing institutions based on the best of human Being. About Eva and Justin: Eva Schonveld is a climate activist, process designer and facilitator, supporting sociocratic system development, decision-making and facilitation in a range of contexts including XR Scotland. After many years working in the arts, she went on to co-found Scotland’s first Transition town and city, networked to inspire the Transition movement across Scotland, and was commissioned by the Scottish Government to establish and manage Transition Scotland Support. More recently she has co-founded Starter Culture, which is developing a range of projects to tackle the marginalisation of the inner dimension at different levels of scale including working on supporting more relational ways of doing politics in Scotland. She is also co-founder of Heartpolitics which exists to address the interconnected social and environmental threats that arise from dividing humans from the wider ecology, and from dividing our minds from our hearts, which is currently working on a fractal Grassroots to Global process which aims to connect open-hearted listening and creative culture re-design processes with a global citizens assembly. Justin Kenrick is an anthropologist and Senior Policy Advisor at Forest Peoples Programme where he works for community land rights in Kenya and Congo. He is a director of Life Mosaic, and also works on land reform in Scotland. He lives in Portobello, Edinburgh, where he chairs Action Porty which undertook the first successful urban community right to buy in Scotland. He writes in many contexts is active in the XR UK and XR Scotland Political Strategy circles, and is on the Stewarding Group of the Scottish Government’s Climate Citizens Assembly which XR Scotland campaigned for. He has a PhD in anthropology from Edinburgh University, draws on a four year Buddhist psychotherapy training, co-founded Heartpolitics, is a Quaker, and has been imprisoned several times for peaceful direct action. His work focuses on enabling people to safely risk taking the steps needed to restore trust in themselves, their community, society and the world.LinksThe original Medium article: Politics, Trauma and Empathy: breakthrough to a politics of the heart? https://medium.com/@evaschonveld/politics-trauma-and-empathy-breakthrough-to-a-politics-of-the-heart-8591d8dce628Sue Gerhardt 'Why Love Matters' https://www.academia.edu/4198318/Why_love_matters_By_Sue_Gerhardt_Abingdon_Oxfordshire_Brunner_Routledge_2004_Pp_256_9_99_ISBN_1583918175Sociocracy: https://sociocracy.co.ukGrassroots to Global: https://www.grassroots2global.orgThe Alternative: https://alternativet.dk/en

If Climate Change is a failure of the imagination and this is a time when we need to be at our most imaginative, how can we change the trajectory of our falling imaginations? Rob Hopkins of the Transition Town movement, has explored the depths of our imagination and creativity. Our society is a dis-imagination machine. But we can reverse it. Rob Hopkins, author of 'From What Is to What If?', offers an answer. In this podcast, we explore the ways that all of us could combine to create a new future - ways to recharge and restart and give space to our imaginations. Rob offers a vision of a future and actual examples of change happening now from the Civic Imagination Office in Bologna, with its pacts of actually doing things, that has inspired other towns in the UK to do the same, to the Doughnut Economics model and the ways people engage to make a difference. Here, we have a wealth of radically transformative ideas that we can engage with on a daily basis to transform ourselves, our communities and our planet. Links Rob Hopkins site https://www.robhopkins.net/Buy the book from Rob's site: https://www.robhopkins.net/the-book/Rob's podcast Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnextRadio 4 Food Program 'Sitopia' https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000m49jKate Raworth Doughnut Economics model https://www.kateraworth.com/doughnut/AG_S3_P8_RobHopkins_12oct20.mp3Manda: So Rob Hopkins on our second try at the other end of a lockdown- the other end of first lockdown - welcome to the Accidental Gods podcast. How is life down in Devon? Rob: Life is kind of I don't know. I almost feel like I'm emerging from lockdown as a different person than I went in. It feels very strange kind of a process. And next week I'm going away to France to go and do some talks and stuff, which was supposed to happen in April or May and was cancelled. But actually, I'm sort of feeling that in the last six months, the furthest I've been is Totnes. I went to Exeter once and it was completely sensorially overwhelming. So quite how going on Eurostar and all that's going to be, I have no idea. Manda: This is how our ancestors lived there, wasn't it? There were people in our village who for whom going to Glasgow was a once in a decade event when I was a kid growing up. And the rest of the time they were within walking distance or maybe took a bus to the little town and that was it. Rob: I used to live in Italy when I was about in my early 20s and I lived in this village and we had this friend called Guido, who was about 80, lovely, lovely man, still running his farm on his own. He had a cow and a horse. And I remember he had one time an English backpacking young woman had come to stay in his house for a while and helped on the farm called Lynetta. We still talked about Lynetta all the time. And I don't think he'd ever been maybe he'd been to Pisa once, you know, he'd hardly ever been away. And I remember he said, I know you're going to London. If you go to London, just ask for Lynetta. Everyone will know.It's like this mental picture of London as it was the same size village.. Manda: So since we last spoke, you have started your own podcast and the whole of your book, 'From what is to What If' seems to me to have taken off as an Internet phenomenon. The concept of creative thinking as a way to move us forward has become central. So there may well be people listening to the podcast. Actually, I hope there are people listening to the podcast who haven't read your book yet, because that means that they will go out and buy it by the end of the podcast and we will enlarge the general audience of the concept of creative imagination and what it can do to begin to shape the more beautiful world that our hearts know is possible that Charles Eisenstein speaks of. So before we move into the work that you've been doing recently, can we talk a little bit about the book from what is to what is how it arose and the wonder that is contained within it? Rob: Well, it was kind of a two year project, really, that I did where I interviewed more than 100 people. I went to visit loads of really interesting places, projects. And it came about because I kept reading people who I really admire and respect, like Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein and George Monbiot and people. And they all seem to be using this term where they would say climate change is a failure of the imagination. It would kind of pop up and then disappear again. I'd be going, oh, ah, I was interesting. What do you mean by that? Why why would we be having a failure of the imagination in 2020 at a time when we need to be at our most imaginative? And then I came across some research done in 2011 by a woman callled Kyum Hee Kim, a researcher who had looked at a whole load of data from something called the Torrance Test for Creative Thinking, which is the sort of gold standard creativity test which had been done in the US on big samples of people going back to the 1960s. And the conclusion was that ima

If we gather in ceremony, sitting on the land, with a fire-keeper who understands the holding and has trained in the ways of the fire, there is so much healing. Fiona Shaw is one of those people, trained in great depth and absolute integrity, to connect to the spirits of this land, and to hold the space for others to re-connect to the fire, the water, the land, the guides, gods and guardians of our ways. Here, she talks about the new depths and challenges - and, yes, opportunities, of this time. And how we can find authenticity in our grief. And new ways of being. In 1997, Fiona Shaw was initiated as a Medicine woman in the Red Path tradition. Since then, she has created communities of ceremony in the UK, Germany, Portugal and Israel. As the years have progressed, she has seen the acceleration towards the crisis of these times, and seen the changes in the nature of the circles. This podcast was recorded at the Autumn Equinox of 2020, when Fiona had just come out of ceremony. The grounding of that, informs all that she says of who we are, who we have been, who we could be - and the pathways of ceremony and human connection that can bring us to a profound healing of all that we are. Links: Fiona's Website: http://birthingthesoul.co.uk/Sacred Birthing Website: https://www.sacred-birthing.co.uk/

Doughnut Economics is a new, groundbreaking model that lets us see how we can embrace the needs of all within the means of a living, thriving planet. Rob Shorter, Communities Lead, of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab explains what it is, how it works and how we can embrace it at all levels in our communities of people and place and purpose. The imagination needs mental and emotional space to enable us to create a vision of the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. Rob Shorter wrote his dissertation at Schumacher on how we cultivate our imagination and change the cultural narrative towards the thinking that Doughnut Economics embodies. In this podcast, we dive deep into the nature of imagination and how we can let it grow. We explore Doughnut Economics and how the model can transform our world. And we look at the work of the lab and how we might all be involved. Most of all, we explore how each of us as individuals can be part of the change we need to see in the world. and Rob shares a song. Listen just for that... Links: Doughnut Economics Action Lab: https://doughnuteconomics.org/Doughnut Economics (Book): https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Doughnut-Economics-by-Kate-Raworth-author/9781847941398Circle Economy: https://www.circle-economy.comEllen Macarthur Foundation for the Circular Economy: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.orgC40 Cities: https://www.c40.orgLeeds Good Life: https://goodlife.leeds.ac.ukCity Repair Project: https://cityrepair.orgBiomimicry video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf4oW8OtaPY

If we view life as a Game between Light and Dark, where do we stand at any given moment? Hero or Manipulator? Altruist or Cynic? Sleepwalker, Avoider, Traditionalist? We can each be any of these at any given moment. Knowing we have choice is what gives us the power to be different. What do you choose? Gill Coombs is a facilitator, coach, peripatetic counsellor and an elder of Extinction Rebellion. Of her three books to date, The Game is the second. In it, she outlines the powers of the Dark Four: The Dark Media, Dark State, Dark Finance, Dark Corporations - and the ways they battle the generative forces of light. And in her game, we can each choose to play one of seven avatars. We might choose a different one in each moment. We might play them so close together as to be indivisible. But it is the thesis of this podcast that meta-awareness is one of the core requirements of humanity and that if we understand what's possible, we can gain agency. With Agency, we can choose to be different. If we choose to be different enough, we become different. So let's play in the seven avatars and see what we'd like to become. LinksGill's website: https://www.gillcoombs.co.ukThe Game: https://www.gillcoombs.co.uk/thegameTom Mills' Book - BBC: Myth of a Public Service:Tristan Harris' podcast - Your Undivided AttentionBlog post on the Wetiko: 'Seeing Wetiko: On Capitalism, Mind Viruses and Antidotes for a World in Transition.'

What is the first, simplest and most profound change we can make in our lives? Sign up as an Earth Protector - and then encourage your local schools, hospitals, colleges, councils to sign too. Jozette Khimba of the Earth Protector Communities organisation, explores the ways we can have huge impact on our local communities.Jozette has been a lifelong activist, but it was her connection with activist Barrister, Polly Higgins that took her to Stroud and the Stop Ecocide campaign. With Polly's death in 2019, Jozette became part of the Earth Protector Communities movement, striving (in her case) to bring the concept of Earth Protection as a moral and legal construct into schools, colleges and universities across the world. As increasing numbers of young people are joining the movement for change, Jozette explains what each of us can do to bring action to our local communities. Links: Stop Ecocide: https://www.stopecocide.earthEarth Protector Communities https://earthprotectorcommunities.netEPC Facebook (which has details of events): https://www.facebook.com/groups/EarthProtectorsCommunity

What are we here for? Where does our heritage step into our potential? How can we build a genuinely ecological civilisation that sees people and communities flourish within the means of the living planet? Jeremy Lent, author of 'The Patterning Instinct', explores the answers to life's biggest questions. Jeremy is an author whose writings investigate the patterns of thought that have led our civilization to its current existential crisis. His recent book, The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search for Meaning, explores the way humans have made meaning from the cosmos from hunter-gatherer times to the present day. He is founder of the nonprofit Liology Institute, dedicated to fostering an integrated worldview that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on the Earth. His upcoming book, The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe, will be published in Spring 2021 by New Society Publishers (North America) and Profile Books (UK & Commonwealth).In this podcast, we explore the thinking behind the idea of an Ecological Civilisation - and how we might get there. Links: Jeremy's site: https://www.jeremylent.com/about.htmlJeremy's blog: https://patternsofmeaning.com/2018/10/10/we-need-an-ecological-civilization-before-its-too-late/Liology Institute: http://www.liology.orgJeremy at XR in October 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBYiEI5pl5A

How can we shape a world where everyone has found and is following their soul’s calling? Gill Coombs, author of The Trembling Warrior and ‘Hearing your Calling’ on ways to discover our soul’s true path. Gill is a writer, facilitator, coach and activist. In 2011/12 Gill studied Holistic Science at Schumacher College, and then wrote her first book Hearing our Calling. In 2015 she stood as a Parliamentary Candidate for the Green Party, and the following year published The Game: Life vs the Dark Powers. Gill was arrested twice during 2019 with Extinction Rebellion, and as a member of the Visioning Circle, helped to establish XR’s Eldership Circle. She has written three life changing books - today we are exploring ‘Hearing your Calling’ - and how we can bring that into the world. Gill’s link and book: https://www.gillcoombs.co.uk/booksSchumacher Collage PostGraduate Courses: https://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/postgraduate-courses-2020Reciprocoach: https://reciprocoach.com

How would our world feel if we let ourselves follow the wild dreams of our hopes? And how can we reshape the land around us if we let it teach us. Former garden designer and founder of "We are the Ark" (Acts of Regenerative Kindness) explores the wild dreaming of the land that brought her to a place where regeneration is the heart of all she does. Mary Reynolds set her intent to win a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower show with her first (and only) exhibit. To do it, she created a wild garden that left visitors in tears for the lost memories of their youths... and she won her gold medal. Her life since has been a long unfolding of dreams connecting her to the wild land of her Irish ancestors, deepening her experience and coming ever closer to the land. With a raw humility and deep passion, she speaks here of her journey and of how we can join her mission to make of every garden an ARK. Links: We are the Ark: http://wearetheark.orgMary's personal site: http://marymary.ie/Dark Sky Ireland: https://www.darksky.ieFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/804968449865497/

How can we heal ourselves and the world? So many people ask the question and yet the answers are simple. We know what we need to do, we just don’t know how to do it. In this race through the grounding of Accidental Gods, podcast host, Manda Scott explores the answers.We know that our healing depends on our re-connection with the web of life, with what we call ‘The Natural World’ until we stop seeing it as something other and start seeing it as an integral part of ourselves. But knowing is different to doing. Declarative learning is not performative learning - both are necessary, but each occupies different bits of our nervous systems and it’s only when we actually begin to embody change that we understand it - and it’s from this embodiment that transformation arises. In a series of Answers to listeners’ questions, Manda outlines the steps to transformation - and reviews some of the wisdom of guests over the past 6 months. LinksAccidental Gods: https://accidentalgods.life Richard J Davidson TED talk: https://youtu.be/7CBfCW67xT8Sam Harris on AI: https://youtu.be/8nt3edWLgIgRupert Sheldrake: https://www.sheldrake.orgTristan Harris Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/your-undivided-attention/id1460030305Tristan Harris website: https://www.tristanharris.comRobert H Lustig: https://robertlustig.com

If you could transform your life with three questions whose answers would bring you into right relationship with yourself, the Earth and the whole web of consciousness, would you ask them? Even if they took you to the full depths of yourself? In this profoundly moving podcast, Mac Macartney guides us through. "When a human embryo is in the mother’s womb, creation whispers into their being ‘I am placing a piece of my genius inside you’. Our task then is to find it, discover it, and share it. If that gift becomes the center of our work - we will shine and be seen and i's unearthing will bring a deep happiness and a sense of fulfilment and purpose."Mac Macartney is a writer, visionary, teacher, thought leader, TED talker, founder of Embercombe and leader of The Journey. A role model for the best of masculinity, guided by his visions for a healed earth and healed humanity, Mac talks with deep, abiding compassion and authenticity of the ways we can find our way back into context with the earth. Links: Mac's site - https://macmacartney.comMac's books - https://macmacartney.com/writer/The Journey - https://embercombe.org/the-journey/Embercombe - https://embercombe.org/A book about Rolling Thunder (not the original) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voice-Rolling-Thunder-Medicine-Walking/dp/1591431336/ref=sr_1_1Mac TED talk: https://youtu.be/PhPwxx7nZh0 Mac TED talk2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1gdeiPri_U

What links the neuroscience of love, the embracing of failure and the pheromones of trees? Adam Hamdy, novelist, screenwriter and sense-maker in an increasingly non-sensical world shares ways to be the best of ourselves, and help others to reach the same place. Adam Hamdy is a novelist, screenwriter, advisor-to-ministers (not that they necessarily listen, but that's their loss) and soon-to-be author of a book on the neuroscience of empowerment - how we can do it and why it's essential. Our conversation ranged from Phytoncides (yes, but trust me, it's fascinating), to the neuroscience of love, and - as ever, what we can actually do, to make a difference in the world around us. LinksAdam's site: http://www.adamhamdy.com Ligandal site: https://www.ligandal.comCrime Time list of best novels - featuring Adam's Black 13 https://www.crimetime.co.uk/the-best-novels-and-novelists-on-the-great-crime-fiction-debate/The paper on CoronaVirus - https://freemarketconservatives.org/were-at-war-with-an-invisible-enemy-heres-how-we-fight-it/Humanity Rising: https://humanityrising.solutionsHealth Benefits of Phytoncies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793341/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18336737/https://europepmc.org/article/med/20074458https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/time-spent-green-places-linked-longer-life-women-2017030911152https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/plants-death-rates-women/https://biofit.io/news/phytoncides-forest-vitamins

How could our entire political system be rewoven so that it met the needs of all humanity - and the More than Human world? How can we step beyond the tribal toxicity that is tearing us apart and find ways to build a future that work? The One Nation Party is a key to a radical new mode of governance. Here, Benjamin Ross describes how it arose, what draw him to it and how it can work to transform the world. As we awaken to an emergent planetary coherence, we rely on stories about our Cosmovisión or Ultimate Purpose to place ourselves within our bodies, our communities, our planet, and our universe. Benjamin Ross, Media and Alliance Building Lead for the new governance group, One Nation, is an evolutionary myth-maker, meta-coherence steward, nurturer of emergence, and lover of all beings. Through the expression of non-dual archetypes, all-win ontology, and visionary holistic thriving in media, governance, and culture, Benjamin is co-creating narrative and experiential frameworks necessary to midwife the birth of a New Earth.In this wide-ranging, far-reaching and beautifully shared vision, Benjamin explores the purpose and drive behind One Nation, behind Azure Village and the thousand fractal shards of the Burning Man revolution in this post-pandemic world. "I identify with life. There's a part of me that identifies as Life. I am Life, Benjamin-ing. I am a verb. I'm not a noun. And that verb is an emanation of a complex system that I'm part of. I wouldn't be me if you didn't exist. The ways in which you've changed the world just by your being here is completely connected to who I am and and how I think of myself. And so when my identity frame begins to shift to actually see you as actually a part of me and me as a part of this greater whole, then then these these labels just become tools that we can use to sort through the complexity of information."One Nation Party: https://www.onenation.party/Benjamin's Medium post: https://medium.com/@benjaminross_/a-thousand-fractal-shards-one-burning-man-revolution-bbf4ee5f20eeCivilisation ReDesign: https://www.civilizationredesign.oneChristopher Life, One Nation candidacy: https://www.onenation.party/presidential-candidate-christopherUnity 2020: Articles: https://medium.com/@ArticlesOfUnity/the-articles-of-unity-f544f930d336

How can we reWeave the political governance, not just of individual nations, but of the world? In Part 2 of our conversation, Benjamin Ross outlines the ways in which One Nation Politics is creating Elder Councils, a United Peoples' Coalition and how the One Thousand Fractal shards of Burning Man might ignite change across the worldAs we awaken to an emergent planetary coherence, we rely on stories about our Cosmovisión or Ultimate Purpose to place ourselves within our bodies, our communities, our planet, and our universe. Benjamin Ross, Media and Alliance Building Lead for the new governance group, One Nation, is an evolutionary myth-maker, meta-coherence steward, nurturer of emergence, and lover of all beings. Through the expression of non-dual archetypes, all-win ontology, and visionary holistic thriving in media, governance, and culture, Benjamin is co-creating narrative and experiential frameworks necessary to midwife the birth of a New Earth.In this wide-ranging, far-reaching and beautifully shared vision, Benjamin explores the purpose and drive behind One Nation, behind Azure Village and the thousand fractal shards of the Burning Man revolution in this post-pandemic world."The intention of Azure Village is to be a temple to our collective potential. And what that means to us is there's both a personal and a collective aspect to that. There's a way in which I feel this land in particular calls me into my own greatness. When I first set foot here, deeply listening to the way that nature speaks here, different ecosystems have such different ways of communicating and the energy that I felt here was so precise. It was so stripped away of any excess, and yet it was thriving, and I had associated thriving with this kind of lush, excessive kind of just dripping with water and life. And out here, things are only doing that which they must do and in that they are thriving. And so, I feel that kind of precision here within myself that anything that is excessive or not enough is coming into like this razor's edge of balance with itself. And that itself is my evolutionary edge that I continue to walk here. And so, I feel both challenged and supported in becoming that version of myself here."One Nation Party: https://www.onenation.party/Benjamin's Medium post: https://medium.com/@benjaminross_/a-thousand-fractal-shards-one-burning-man-revolution-bbf4ee5f20eeCivilisation ReDesign: https://www.civilizationredesign.oneChristopher Life, One Nation candidacy: https://www.onenation.party/presidential-candidate-christopherUnity 2020: Articles: https://medium.com/@ArticlesOfUnity/the-articles-of-unity-f544f930d336United Citizens Coalition https://medium.com/@benjaminross_/united-peoples-coalition-d8cd25faf014

How can we embody the change we need to see in the world? How can we find the new ways of being before we even have words to describe them? What is 'Warm Data' and how does it help us see the world as it really is? Phoebe Tickell, utopian, sense-maker and facilitator of radical change talks us through answers that will help us to change the world. Phoebe is embedded in, and embodies the new sense-making and change-making of the world. Founder of Moral Imagination and facilitator of Radical Collaborations, Phoebe works in fields as diverse as philanthropic funding at the National Lottery Community Fund, innovative governance models, holistic science curricula and the convening of courses on deep systems thinking. Here, she explores the nature of reality, how 'Warm Data' and a systems approach can help us to perceive the world as it is, as a necessary prerequisite to embodying the change we need to be. She discusses patterning and the development of flies, language and how to grow it into what we need and the psycho-technologies we need to make the best decisions possible in a world currently in systems melt. Phoebe’s website - http://www.phoebetickell.comMoral Imaginations - https://moralimaginations.comFritjof Capra’s website: Capracourse.netTheory U- https://www.ottoscharmer.com/theoryuLiberating Structures - http://www.liberatingstructures.comNora Bateson - https://batesoninstitute.org/nora-bateson/Unbound Philanthropy - https://www.unboundphilanthropy.org/grants-and-co-funding

In this second of two episodes, practical visionary, Miki Kashtan, lays out her visions of a flourishing, generative future based on providing for the needs of all - the human and More-Than-Human world. And how to get there. Miki Kashtan, co-founder of the Bay Area NVC and adept nonviolent communication practitioner, lays out the pathways she believes could take us towards a future where everyone flourishes. If we explore the flows of life - of need and resource, of how we interact, then we can begin to heal the patriarchal wounds of separation, scarcity and powerlessness and move into a world where mutual care and trust lead us to a state of community, empowerment and provision. Links: Miki Kashtan website: https://mikikashtan.orgMiki Kashtan blog: https://thefearlessheart.orgTom Atlee: http://www.tomatleeblog.comMiki's concepts of how to structure Global governance: https://thefearlessheart.org/resources/local-to-global-collaboration/Genevieve Vaughan - the maternal gift economy: http://gift-economy.comJames Gilligan - Conference ‘the Making of Destructive Leaders’ - https://www.confer.uk.com/event/leaders.htmlNonviolent Global Liberation Community - https://nglcommunity.orgCollaborative Lawmaking Study: http://efficientcollaboration.org/wp-content/uploads/MinnesotaCaseStudy.pdfBooks: James Gilligan: Violence: Reflections on a National Pandemic: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/60198/violence-by-james-gilligan-m-d/Alice Miller: ‘For your own Good’ https://www.alice-miller.com/en/for-your-own-good/Walter Wink ‘Powers that Be’ https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Powers-That-Be-by-Walter-Wink-author/9780385487528Rebecca Solnit ‘Paradise Made in Hell’ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/301070/a-paradise-built-in-hell-by-rebecca-solnit/Life after Covid-19 - Miki has a chapter in this - - available for pre-order here: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/life-after-covid-19Marija Gimbutas ‘The Balts’ https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.40925Article on the disempowerment of our ancestors: https://thefearlessheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/From-Obedience-and-Shame-to-Freedom-and-Belonging.pdf

How can we reweave the fabric of humanity to create a world where everyone's deepest needs are met? How do we even know what our deepest needs are - for security (physical and emotional), freedom, connection and meaning? In part 1 of 2, Miki Kashtan gives us answers - and a vision of the future. Practical visionary Miki Kashtan has devoted her life to the exploration and practice of non violent communication: to finding ways in which choice can become a central part of human existence: the capacity to set aside the patriarchal wounds of separation, scarcity and powerlessness and to choose instead, connection, flow and the ability to meet the needs of the whole of the web of life. In this two-part podcast, she lays out the baselines of choice, of the ways we can think and feel and be beyond the confines of our patriarchal system, ahead of part 2, where we explore the futures we could reach if we all committed to choice and change. Miki Kashtan website: https://mikikashtan.orgMiki Kashtan blog: https://thefearlessheart.orgTom Atlee: http://www.tomatleeblog.comGenevieve Vaughan - the maternal gift economy: http://gift-economy.comJames Gilligan - Conference ‘the Making of Destructive Leaders’ - https://www.confer.uk.com/event/leaders.htmlNonviolent Global Liberation Community - https://nglcommunity.orgBooks: James Gilligan: Violence: Reflections on a National Pandemic: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/60198/violence-by-james-gilligan-m-d/Alice Miller: ‘For your own Good’ https://www.alice-miller.com/en/for-your-own-good/Walter Wink ‘Powers that Be’ https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Powers-That-Be-by-Walter-Wink-author/9780385487528Rebecca Solnit ‘Paradise Made in Hell’ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/301070/a-paradise-built-in-hell-by-rebecca-solnit/Life after Covid-19 - Miki has a chapter in this - available for pre-order here: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/life-after-covid-19Collaborative Lawmaking Study: http://efficientcollaboration.org/wp-content/uploads/MinnesotaCaseStudy.pdfMarija Gimbutas ‘The Balts’ https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.40925Article on the disempowerment of our ancestors: https://thefearlessheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/From-Obedience-and-Shame-to-Freedom-and-Belonging.pdf(relevant detail here: In Goettner-Abendroth’s account, on the other hand, it’s specific events that change the experience and result in different choices leading to different actions. In other words, it’s stress and trauma on a large scale that interfere with the spontaneous unfolding of trusting relationships and love. The scale has to be large enough to overwhelm the capacity of a group or culture to metabolize stressful events within its finite resources and resilience. In the case of the “Kurgan” culture that Gimbutas identified, the possible causes could be the flooding of the black sea[1] and/or the desertification of large swaths of land on which many groups depended for their survival. Both of these events pushed large numbers and groups of people outside the bounds of their previous modes of subsistence, thereby creating both trauma and a clash between survival and their manner of living.[2] It is almost impossible, I believe, for our modern minds to grasp the calamity of what these waves of invasions from the Kurgans westward signified, because we no longer have the lived sensibility of what it’s like to live in a peaceful, life-loving, egalitarian culture in unity with nature and each other. I continue to contemplate this description of it and to extrapolate to the present to be able to grasp the loss and begin to mourn it, on behalf of all of humanity: “when [the Kurgans’] barrow-type graves appeared in Europe for the first time (primarily containing males with weapons), nearly 700 major habitation sites, representing a rich fabric of cultural and technological developments, disintegrated after flourishing undisturbed for many hundreds of years.” (Marler 179)[1] See Ryan et al, “An Abrupt Drowning of the Black Sea Shelf”, Marine Geology, 138 (1997) 119-126, where evidence is provided of a major, cataclysmic flooding of the Black Sea, which is now believed to be the source of mythological accounts such as that of Noah’s ark in the bible (not the only one in the region). [2] See The Rule of Mars for several overlapping accounts of these events.)

Musician, artist, maker-of-ceremony and guardian of the ancestors of the land, Carolyn Hillyer talks - and sings - about the three things that take care of this land: a deep honouring of the ancestors, a fierce guardianship, and the absolute heart-felt connection of tribe. Carolyn Hillyer lives on a 1,000 year old farm in the heart of Dartmoor. Her fierce, deeply spiritual guardianship of this place involves a heart-commitment to sharing the space with those who have been and those yet to come. As we near the end of (the first) Covid lockdown, she talks - and sings - of her spiritual connection to the ancestors of this land, of the ceremonial spaces she has built, of the Sami women and the bear skull that they brought in honouring - and of the remains of a Bronze Age ancestor-woman found on the hill overlooking the land, and the bear skin she was wrapped in. Carolyn's deep, heartfelt connection to the land shines through her words, her art and her songs: a shining beacon of how life can be lived for those who choose to follow. Carolyn’s website, Seventh Wave Music: https://www.seventhwavemusic.co.uk

What if our work made our hearts sing every day? What if everyone were paid what they were actually worth? What if the profits went into the community, to build the better world our hearts know is possible? How would that actually work? Let’s find out! Renegade Economist and Right Livelihood coach, Della Duncan, has spent most of her professional life exploring the ideas that might transform our culture into the more beautiful, flourishing - fun, joyful, - safe - world our hearts know is possible. In this deep-dive interview, we explore the furthest edges of what our world might look and feel like if we were able to reconfigure our economy so that every transaction was predicated on the flourishing of the human and more-than-human worlds. From Manfred Max-Neef to the Post Growth Foundation, we explore the ideas at the cutting edge of human potential. Links: Della’s website: https://www.dellazduncan.comUPSTREAM podcast - radio documentary series (including UBI) https://www.upstreampodcast.org/documentariesHelena Norberg-Hodge World Localisation Day: https://worldlocalizationday.orgNo Impact Man: https://colinbeavan.com/search-no-impact/ How on Earth? - how to flourish in a post-growth world: https://www.howonearth.usHow on Earth? YouTube: https://youtu.be/x07vWvdChAMAnand Giridharadras ‘Winners Take All’, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Winners-Take-All-Charade-Changing/dp/0141990910/Christian Felber - ‘Change Everything’ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Change-Everything-Creating-Economy-Common/dp/1783604727Movement Generation: https://movementgeneration.orgStewart Brand, The Long Now Foundation: http://longnow.org/Manfred Max-Neef: Human Scale Development: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Human-Scale-Development-Application-Reflections/dp/094525735XManfred Max-Neef: Economics Unmasked: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Economics-Unmasked-Berlin-Technologie-pack/dp/19003227067 Fundamental Human Needs: based on Max-Neef’s work: https://www.kennethmd.com/the-7-fundamental-human-needs/

Business as usual has brought us to the edge of extinction. Can we switch off our complacency and turn towards life in time? Raw, honest thoughts from Professor Rupert Read of Extinction Rebellion. Professor Rupert Read, Green Party activist, XR speaker, and deep adaptation philosopher, speaks openly, deeply - and with a raw, almost unique honesty - about the dangers of the current time, and the need to turn away from ‘business as usual’ There are times when we need to shock ourselves out of our complacency, when we need to realise how close to the edge of extinction., we are, when we need to step away from the fantasies of ‘business as usual’ and re-appraise the very nature of what it is to be human. And then to work out how to go forward in ways that are regenerative, compassionate, and that turn towards life. Rupert Read website: http://www.rupertread.net/Rupert - 24 theses on Corona https://medium.com/@rupertjread/24-theses-on-corona-748689919859Rupert’s ‘Pro-energy-descent’ review of Planet of the Humans by Michael Moore - https://medium.com/@rupertjread/review-michael-moores-planet-of-the-humans-by-rupert-read-and-deepak-rughani-723f4deadb10 Rupert at Compass Online: https://www.compassonline.org.uk/the-coronavirus-gives-humanity-one-last-chance-but-for-what-exactly/ Jem Bendell interviewing Joanna Macy- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1wUY6945kYRR and Helena Norberg-Hodge on relocalisation: - http://www.greenhousethinktank.org/uploads/4/8/3/2/48324387/post-growth-localisation_pamphlet.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1us740Lkhrk-5DYzrX8SK0wKYbawvWSyJU6bgpoPsxNmPwFZoLeEVxANwOn Being podcast with Resmaa Menakem https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/on-being-with-krista-tippett/id150892556?i=1000476829446

How can we feed our bodies and our souls? Abel Pearson, founder of Glasbren community supported agriculture farm in West Wales shared his connection to the land, his spiritual practice - and his re-visioning of community, food and spirit. Abel Pearson is a poet, peasant farmer, permaculture educator & activist, tending soil in West Wales and listening for the stories we need to build community and culture, restore health and breathe new life into our connection to land, food and seed. He is the founder of Glasbren, a non-profit social enterprise working to reimagine our food systems, rewild the way we eat, live and grow food and regenerate our communites, the people that live in them and the land we depend on. Glasbren is a Community Supported Agriculture scheme, offering it's members a weekly 'Share in the Harvest' veg box & a transparent relationship with where their food comes from, volunteer opportunities, courses and workshops. They also raise money for tree planting and support the local food bank through their Solidarity Fund. Abel is passionate about growing food, together, as a means to facilitate a collective shift to a radically ecological way of being and as a vehicle for social, ecological and cultural rebirth. He is a grower at Glasbren, but also teaches immersive experiences in permaculture, food growing and regenerative living, works with activists & Earth stewards to build a rooted connection to the Earth and is searching for authentic ritual spaces, passageways and the knowing to explore a truly indigenous connection to place.Glasbren: https://www.facebook.com/GlasbrenCSA/Eco Dharma: http://www.ecodharma.com/Zac Bush talking about the importance of biome (soil/gut) to health: https://youtu.be/EniVCQL3NzcCommunity Supported Agrictulture: https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/Help-X HELPEX - https://www.helpx.net/